Subscribe

More

Subscribe

Today is going to be a great day! Why? Because I get to see the sneak preview of Avatar followed by Inglourious Basterds, both of which I’ve been looking forward to for a long, long time. I’m especially excited for Basterds. The cast is incredible and I can’t wait to see Brad Pitt killing some Nazis. If you’ve seen it, let me know what you thought!

The combination of orange and chocolate has always been a favorite of mine. When I was in high school, I used to work at a smoothie bar and I’d always make myself an orange chocolate smoothie, which was delicious and tasted just like those chocolate oranges that you can get. These cookies are very similar to those beloved chocolate oranges, and in turn, those orange chocolate smoothies. Orange and chocolate belong together, I promise you. If you’re skeptical, give it a try! You’ll be pleasantly surprised. These cookies have a brownie-like texture and the orange takes them to a whole new level. I thought they needed something crunchy, though, so I added in some dark chocolate M&Ms, which worked nicely and added some much needed color. I gave these away to a few different people and they all really liked them, so I’ll be adding this recipe to my “make again” pile. You should, too!

Gather up your ingredients.

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Melt your butter in a microwave safe bowl.

Place your sugar and orange zest in a large bowl.

With clean hands, rub the sugar and zest together until the sugar is a light orange color. This gets more of the flavors and oils out of the zest and into the cookies.

Add the brown sugar and melted butter in with the orange sugar and beat until just combined.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.

Gradually beat in the flour until it’s just combined and moistened (you can finish it out of the mixer, but don’t beat it too much with the mixer or you’ll have dry, crumbly cookies).

Gently fold in the M&Ms.

Roll the dough into balls and place on a greased and/or lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 9-11 minutes, or until set.

Allow to cool on the cookie sheet before removing.

These are sure to be a hit with any crowd, as they’re different than most other cookies you’ll find. Enjoy!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil if you like, then spray with Pam.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together melted butter and sugars. Mix in the eggs, stirring them in one at a time, then add the vanilla and orange zest.

Gradually stir in the flour mixture, mixing until no streaks of flour remain, but don't overmix (especially if you're using a mixer). Fold in the M&Ms.

Roll the dough into balls, place onto the prepared baking sheet, and press down on them a bit with the palm of your hand (dough balls were a bit larger than 1 inch in diameter). Leave about 2 to 3-inches between cookies to allow for spread.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, until cookies are set at the edges and tops are slightly cracked looking. Cool on baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

I made these to bring to my family’s Christmas celebration today. They look and smell delicious! I especially appreciated the tip to rub the zest in with the sugar to bring out the oils – I’d never done that before and the difference in final aroma is amazing!